Full-field and real-time surface plasmon resonance imaging thermometry

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Thermodynamics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Accurate temperature monitoring is crucial for understanding fluid dynamics and heat transfer.
• Existing methods for real-time, full-field temperature mapping of transient liquid media are limited.
• Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) offers a label-free optical sensing mechanism sensitive to local refractive index changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the feasibility of SPR imaging thermometry for full-field, real-time temperature mapping of thermally transient liquid mediums.
• To analyze the influence of optical properties (prism materials, gold film dielectric constants) on SPR thermometry performance.
• To demonstrate the practical application of SPR thermometry in a laboratory setting.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Kretschmann's analysis to parametrically examine the effects of optical properties on SPR reflectance intensity.
• Investigated seven different prism materials and seven gold film dielectric constants.
• Developed and implemented a laboratory SPR thermometry system for real-time measurements.

Main Results:

• SPR imaging thermometry is feasible for real-time, full-field temperature mapping of transient liquid media.
• Optical properties significantly influence the temperature dependence of SPR reflectance intensity.
• Demonstrated successful full-field mapping of transient temperature fields during water droplet impact on a gold surface.

Conclusions:

• SPR imaging thermometry is a viable technique for precise, non-invasive temperature field mapping in dynamic liquid environments.
• The study provides critical insights into optimizing SPR systems for thermometry applications.
• This technique holds promise for various applications requiring detailed thermal analysis of transient phenomena.